


Spirit of the Sky

by KekoOTD



Category: Avatar: Legend of Korra
Genre: 1940s, Alternate Universe - World War II, Angst, British Asami, F/F, F/M, Fighter Pilots, Fluff, French Beifongs, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Period-Typical Homophobia, Period-Typical Racism, Period-Typical Sexism, Pilots, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-02
Updated: 2016-03-02
Packaged: 2018-05-24 02:55:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6138915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KekoOTD/pseuds/KekoOTD
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The world is at war, for a second time. It wages against England, and only a handful of pilots have been keeping them at bay for almost two years. When America finally joins, it brings two fated pilots together to try to keep themselves, and each other alive.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Spirit of the Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Please welcome my new project! I've had this one in the brainstorming process for almost a year now, and I hope everyone enjoys this. I'm gonna try my best to keep it as historically accurate as I can, but some things are going to be bent around for the sake of the story. The references I'm using are from several books and movies such as Red Tails and Memphis Belle. Enjoy!  
> Edit: I changed the name of this first chapter for the cheesy every first chapter/episode name and for the pun.  
> Edit 2.0: I kinda forgot the long process of travelling overseas so I added a few extra things and changed a few dates near the end.

Mantson RAF, England.

December 1941

 

“She's just a dame; can't do more than tinker with old scrap metal!”

“The only reason they let her in the RAF is because her father was one of the head engineers before he died.”

“They'll never let her in the air- she's certainly not capable.”  
Asami smirked to herself, remembering what her former comrades said about her as she painted another swastika on the side of her plane; marking her 7th victory. She'd laugh a little to herself when those same pilots would ask her to be their wing-man when they went on patrols. She rejoiced when she got back to her quarters after the major told her she'd be going up in the air back in 1940. She was so happy when they told her she'd be transferring from a Hurricane to a Spitfire. A brand new Supermarine Spitfire. They looked so beautiful in the air.

It's been over a year since the Luftwaffe dropped the first bomb on London and the smell of ash, blood, and dust hasn't quite left since. The bombings have mostly ceased since early 1941, but every now and then, when Asami would be patrolling the English Channel, she'd intercept a few 109's. She or her wing man would either shoot them down or spook them enough to send them back home.

She still wasn't quite used to it- waking up each morning fully aware that it might be her last. That it might be the last for one of her fellow pilots as well. Another mother who won't get to see her son again- sometimes they can't get a body to send home because it would be lost in a crash. War is not romantic, it's not fun and games. It's literal hell on earth. In Asami's case, it's hell in the air.

She finished painting the swastika on the side of her plane and grinned to herself. She's technically an ace now, that's sure to get her a bit more respect around here.

“Pilot Officer Sato!” someone called from under her. She swung her legs over the side of the wing and looked down to see Oliver Wright, the Aircraft Engineering Technician. “Yeah Wright?” she replied, rubbing some of the paint off her arm.

“Major Howell wants to see you in his office. I'm not sure what he wants.” Wright said. Asami nodded and climbed down from her plane, nodding to Wright before walking off to see the Major.

The Major was a strict man, but with good reason. He wanted to keep the airfield in order and prepared to counter any attack that could be thrown at them at any time. Asami jogged across the south side of the base to the office that he works in. She knocked on his door twice before entering. “You wanted to see me sir?” she asked, saluting.

“Yes. Please sit,” he gestured to the chair in front of his desk. Asami complied as he finished up with his paper and set his pencil aside.

“As you probably already know, the United States has been subtly sending us supplies to help us with the war. It won't be very long until they're forced to join the conflict.” he paused, standing from his chair to walk to the window.

“If and when they enter this war, they're going to be sending more supplies and troops our way, which means our veteran pilots are going to have to show theirs the ropes. Routine patrols and bombing runs. We're going to split up our current squadrons and place one veteran in a new squadron of American pilots. This includes you, Pilot Officer.”

Asami's eyes went wide. “You mean I'll be a squad leader, sir?”  
Major Howell pulled a cigar out of his jacket pocket and held it in his mouth loosely. “Not a squadron, not yet. But a flight leader, which is a step toward the squad leader position. You're also being promoted to Flight Officer as well. Lead the new airmen good and well like you've been flying lately, and this war across the Channel can be brought to a swift end. That is all."

Asami stood and saluted him again before leaving the office. “Flight Leader.”

 ---

Mitchell USAAF, New York.

December 6th 1941.

 

Korra pulled the cap off her head, grinning wildly as she hopped out of her P-40. Another successful practice run in the books for her and Mako. “Nice flying, you two!” Bolin came running up to the two of them.

“It was fine, but my Immelmann could be better,” Mako replied, clapping his brother on the back.

“Ah whaddya need that fancy flying for, anyways? All we ever do is basic training and patrols over the base,” Bolin said.

“It’s a maneuver to get in a few good shots at a slow-moving target lower than you, like enemy bombers. I thought you knew that,” Mako explained.

“Yeah I did but when are you ever gonna use that? It's not like we're ever gonna see any real combat anytime soon. The war's on the other side of the world,” Bolin replied.

“The tension between us and the Axis powers are growing worse each day- it's only a matter of time now.” Korra chimes in.

The three of them walked to their barracks together to change out of their flight outfits and into their Army Air Force dress uniforms. It's a Saturday night and they have plans to go into the city. Plus they've got the morning off as well so they won't have to worry about waking up early.

Bolin had found a nice jazz bar in New York City with a good band and good food, so the three of them got dressed, piled into Mako's Army Jeep and took off. Night had just barely fallen when they got there, the music already playing loud swing music.

Mako got them set up with a table and ordered a round of drinks for the three of them. “Dang! I never knew this place was so nice inside! I've only passed by a few times but I haven’t been inside before,” Bolin said, raising his voice so it was barely audible over the swing music.

“Yeah, this place has been around for a while, since the twenties. It was probably a speakeasy during the probation, but those days are long behind us,” Mako replied.

The big band finished up their fast paced song just as the waitress brought the three of them drinks. The next song then started up; Moonlight Serenade. Mako downed his drink and reached out to Korra. “How about a dance for your best friend Mako” He asked jokingly. Korra laughed and took his hand, and they made their way to the dance floor.

The song had a slow tempo; it wasn't a waltz but it wasn't the typical slow song either. Mako and Korra swayed along with it, Mako looking back at Bolin. “I think he's gonna switch from fighter pilot to bomber pilot,” he said.

Korra looked back at him as well. Bolin had always been dreaming of being the leader of a large crew. Of being one of the ones to sock it back to ol' Hitler or Tojo in a B-25, or maybe something bigger.

“I sure hope flight command let's him, he's pretty passionate about it,” Korra replied. “It might be safer too, it could make Opal feel better about it,” she continued.

Bolin had fallen for a French girl named Opal Beifong about a year ago. Her and half her family fled to New York after the fall of Paris in 1940. She made it here with her mother and three of her four brothers. Her aunt went to England and her father and oldest brother had to stay in now Nazi occupied France. She attended nursing school in Paris and joined the Navy Nurse Corps. She was sent to Pearl Harbor a few weeks ago, but she and Bolin have been writing to each other nonstop.

Korra looked back at Mako. “What about you, city boy? Any girls strike your fancy?” She asked him. He just laughed and shook his head. “I'm not much of a lover boy. But I guess we'll see what happens once this war ends and all the tension is cleared up,” he replied.

“Although I could ask you the same thing. Any nice men, or women strike your fancy?” Mako poked at her. She just pinched his arm, “You know there isn't, you goof”

Korra had found out that her attraction to women was the same as her attraction to men a few months ago. She didn't really think much on it, and only told Mako and Bolin, the only two she could trust.

The song ended and the two went back to sit with Bolin at the table, who was talking to another Army pilot. “...and I heard she has around six or seven victories in the air, maybe even more chalked up on the ground. That's some nice flying over there, boy I kid you not” he said.

“Oh, are you talking about that one British pilot out of Mantson?” Korra asked. She'd been reading about Pilot Officer Sato in the newspapers for a while now, and really looks up to her.

One of the most successful pilots in the RAF, and she's a woman as well! Korra says she has no preference on if, when the US enters the war, she'll be sent to the Pacific or Europe side, but really she wants to meet the Pilot Officer in England. And she has a bone to pick with Hitler, what with the rumors of him imprisoning anyone he thinks are “unusual”. Downright horrible.

The three of them talked to the airman until he went back to his own table with his friends. They stayed until around 10:30 when it was about time for them to leave if they wanted to make it back to base before curfew. Korra drove the brothers in the Jeep and made it back to the barracks at around 11:45. They all washed up and headed to their own quarters.

Bolin went to write a new letter to Opal, Mako went straight to sleep, and Korra did the same.

Morning came quickly, the barracks officer waking them all up at around 8:00. The three had the day off, so Korra decided she would spend the morning out in the city. She took Mako's Jeep downtown and spent a few hours shopping for food, fresh shirts, and other essentials. She then went on to catch a motion picture showing at one of the theaters nearby. By the time that was over, it was nearing 3:00 in the afternoon, so she decided it was time to head back to base.

She wasn't expecting to find it in complete pandemonium.

Pilots and ground crewmen running about, officers frantically looking through papers, several men hunched around radios. Korra parked the car and ran over to a group where Mako and Bolin were listening to a radio.

“What did I miss? Why is everyone acting so chaotic?” Korra asked. And then she heard it over the radio.

“...again these are just our first reports. Right now they are telling us that hundreds are dead, at least three ships sunk, possibly more. The Japanese have taken Pearl totally off guard and unprepared in this horrible act…”

“Dear God. It happened. By God it finally happened…” one of the pilots sank to his knees in the dirt, covering his face when the sobs came spilling out. Korra grabbed onto Bolin’s shoulder for support.

“No… this can't be happening. Why did this happen?” She couldn't help asking. Everyone knew this day would come; the day that America would be forced to join the war, but not like this. Never like this.

The rest of the day continued on like this. Pilots either hunched around a radio or flying patrols over and around the city. Everything was on high alert in preparation for a second attack. It seemed to make the civilians feel better, knowing that the pilots were up there, keeping watch for anything that would hurt their dear city.

 ---

Mantson RAF, England.

December 8th 1941

 

“I never thought that it would happen this way…” Asami overheard her friend Phillip McKellar saying to his bunk mate. She sat on the edge of her seat, picking at her eggs with her fork. Ever since she heard the news about Pearl, she'd lost her appetite, her motivation for the day. But she knew she had a job to do so she shoveled the eggs down and went to her quarters to get into her flight gear. When she got dressed, she met McKellar on the runway and climbed into her plane.

“Hell of a thing, what happened to the Americans,” he said over their radio connection. “Yeah… Hell of a thing” Asami replied. Looks like they'll be getting the unrestricted support of American troops and pilots now.

Asami fired up her Spitfire; Skyfury she's painted on the side of it. Once the engine was running and ready to go, she took off down then runway, throttle at 100% as her wheels lifted off the ground and Asami was airborne.

She never quite got used to the feeling of flying, the feeling of freedom in the air. It’s exhilarating to her, the feeling of being able to fly almost anywhere she wanted. McKellar took off behind her and lined up just to her right as they began their morning patrol of the Channel.  
On a normal day, they wouldn't see any enemy fighters. At least not anymore. Back during the thick of the Blitz, there would be raids every single day. But nowadays, Asami and McKellar would be lucky to see a pair of 109s.

This must be their lucky day then, because just below the rising sun, two Messerschmidt 109 aircraft came into Asami's view. “McKellar! Do you see them?” she asked over the radio.

“Yeah I see 'em. Time to show them what we can do!” he replied, banking to the right so the two Spitfires were going straight for the 109s.

When the aircraft were in range, Asami let her guns blaze away at the enemy, landing a few hits on the one on the left. McKellar missed the one on the right completely, and they both looped up and around to try to get behind the Messerschmidts. McKellar got the first one in his glass sight, and fired several short bursts at the plane. Its left wing started to smoke, and then it came apart completely. The pilot inside managed to flip the plane and bail out over the Channel.

“All right! One down, Sato. Where's the other one?” McKellar said over the radio. Asami looked all around outside, but did not see the other 109. “Maybe we scared him off. You did down his buddy just then. Plus, I got a few shots in on him during the first pass,” Asami replied.

As soon as that was said, a string of bullets came from behind the two of them, hitting McKellar's plane in the fuselage and cockpit. Asami saw blood splatter all inside the cockpit and the plane slowly began to dive. “McKellar! McKellar, bloody hell!” she exclaimed, turning back to see the second 109.

The pilot began to fire at her, bullets passing her left and right. She swerved and rolled to avoid them, desperately trying to get out of his sight. He fired again and this time Asami managed to open up her throttle to speed away from him. She ascended into the clouds and did a regular loop. She was now in a dive, headed straight for the Nazi who killed her wing-man

She fired at him continuously, hitting his right wing and tail, as well as the back of the fuselage. The front end separated from the back in a fiery explosion and the aircraft fell back to earth.

Asami steadied her breathing and continued on her patrol. War is no beautiful thing.

\---

Savannah USAAF, Georgia

April 1942

 

Bolin frantically wrote a letter, sending it to the last postal man. He was deathly worried for Opal after hearing that everyone in the area had been affected. Soldiers, seamen, pilots, engineers, nurses, and even innocent civilians were killed or injured.

The lists started to come in on how many were killed and how many ships were lost. In total, over 3,000 were killed, even more injured. Around six or seven ships were sunk, but some have a chance of being recovered. Several more were damaged, though.

President Roosevelt declared war on Japan, and then Germany declared war on the US. Due to England being America's closest standing ally, they were sending the pilots from Mitchell down to Savannah Air Base in Georgia to begin new wartime training with the Eight Air Force.  
Bolin still wrote to Opal, and still got no word back. He began to think the worst has happened to her, unfortunately.

Training went on in Georgia through the holidays, then through the end of winter, and then finally through the end of spring when on April 22nd, they told Korra and the brothers they were going by train to New York City first thing in the morning. They'd be allowed two days to spend in the city before getting on an ocean liner to go to England. The three went to bed that night with no intention of sleeping.

“What do you think it'll be like?” Bolin asked. “To see real combat? To actually shoot a man's plane down? To have someone else shooting back at you?” He continued.

“I guess we'll find out later this week, Bo” Mako replied. “If you don't shoot at them, then they'll shoot at you, and then probably hit you or down your plane, kid. But we've all had training, so it'll be okay” he continued.

The three spent the night talking about the events to come, the dangers that they'll face. Morning finally came, and the three made it out of the barracks with their bags in hand. Bolin looked back inside one last time, then sighed and continued walking with the rest.

Just then, a Jeep came driving up to the group and stopped when he saw Bolin. "You Lieutenant Bolin Zhang?” He asked, and Bolin nodded. The postal man handed him a letter, and then sped off again.

Bolin stared at it for a second until frantically opening the letter from Opal Beifong in Pearl Harbor Hawaii.

“‘My dearest Bolin,

I hope this letter finds you and finds you well. Let me assure you that I am alive and well. Things have been hectic here, as you can imagine. I've been working at the hospital non stop since the attack, and had little time to read your letters or write back to you. I was able to save several sailors while the attack was still happening, you'll be pleased to hear. I wish you safe travels to England, please be safe and send me your new mailing address when you arrive, so I'll know where to continue writing to. Je t'aime.

Your love, Opal Beifong.

April 4th 1942’”

“She's alive! She made it she made it she's alive! Oh thank God!” Bolin nearly started to cry. He read the letter again and again, over and over on the way to the train, and even on the train. When they were halfway to New York, he folded it neatly and tucked it into his left breast pocket, the closest to his heart.

Korra and the rest managed to catch some sleep on the train ride. When they arrived in the City, the three stayed close to the ship until departure day. The seas were rough and the constant fear of U-Boats kept all the men on edge. By early May 12th, they docked at Cobh, Ireland and were separated to transport planes to take them the rest of the way to England. They made it there in the late afternoon, and after they landed, Korra stood and grabbed her duffel bag, then went to stand by the door with the brothers. The door opened, revealing the air base she and the others on the plane would be operating out of for a while. Korra braced herself as she took her first steps in England, her first steps in a war zone.

“Well pilots, welcome to England. Welcome to the war”

**Author's Note:**

> I'm gonna be coming up with last names for some of the characters, I thought Zhang was a good one for the brothers since both the Fire Nation and Earth Kingdom were based off Chinese culture in the shows. I hope you enjoyed the first chapter; the second one will be on the way!


End file.
